Unwanted Truth
by isobeljones2000
Summary: 'For an instant, when Mary tosses the remote to Nick and yells: "Save her!", Katherine almost allows herself to believe that her rival could mean her.' Set during the Series 2 finale (One-sided Nick/Katherine)


_A/N) Written as if there was time for Katherine and Mary to talk before the bomb went off. Just a short idea that interested me - as if there was still a minute left on the countdown rather than just a few seconds after Nick and Rebecca left. Enjoy ;)_

* * *

 _One minute and thirty seconds._

Teleport controls reactivated.

For an instant, when Mary tosses the remote to Nick and yells: "Save her!", Katherine almost allows herself to believe that her rival could mean her.

But no. As Rebecca clings to Nick and both disappear in a flurry of fearful looks and green light, Katherine knows that this time, there's really no way out. Nick's gone. And he's not coming back - not for her, at any rate.

"You saved them?" Katherine asks disbelievingly, staring at the usually heartless woman across the desk from her, who she would never have guessed would do a selfless act in her life and yet apparently had just done, by saving two people who had never really asked to be caught up in all of this.

"Why, yes. I think I just did." The woman smiles, her gaze flickering to the countdown for an instant. _One minute and fifteen seconds._

"Why?" Katherine wants to know.

Mary merely smiles wider, refusing to reply, knowing full well that it will annoy Katherine.

Lord Hoffman breaks through the stunned silence, still half sprawled on the floor next to Mary. "You idiots!" he cursed. "Now there's no way of getting out - we're all going to die - thanks to you."

"Thanks for the reminder," Katherine says irritably. "We hadn't noticed, you see."

Mary rolls her eyes. "Oh, shut up, you annoying little man. Do let us know if you have anything useful to input in your last -" a quick check of the countdown - "Minute or so of survival."

Surprisingly, Lord Hoffman does shut up, albeit probably just to sulk in silence. The prospect of rapidly oncoming death will do that to a person.

Katherine taps experimentally at her computer, which still doesn't acknowledge that there's any bombs present in the area. Some anti-terrorism software this is, it can't even break through Mary's shielding. "Maybe Nick will come back for us," she says weakly, not believing it herself for an instant. "At least they escaped, I guess. They didn't deserve this."

Mary looks sceptical. "Oh, please. Don't pull the innocent act on me. Katherine Calvin doesn't actually care about anyone other than herself. If you could have grabbed that teleport remote and escaped on your own, you would have done in an instant. Why do you think Nick's going to act any differently?"

Katherine shot her a look, failing to install the required venom into it so it's just an odd combination of hope and hurt.

Mary laughs at her expression, apparently genuinely amused. "What? You actually thought Nick cared about you? After all the lying, the ordering, the backstabbing deceit you've shown him over the years? He barely trusts you, let alone cares for you."

Her immediately lowered gaze proves the statement is truer than the proud businesswoman would ever admit.

 _Thirty seconds._

"Even if by some miracle we do survive, what do you expect?" Mary asks sharply, apparently keen to continue the same line of thought. "It's obvious who Nick likes; he's never been able to hide his emotions very well. And here's a hint - it's not you."

"Nick and Rebecca fell out years ago," Katherine informs her as confidently as she can muster.

Her rival rolls her eyes. "Nick and Rebecca only had their little tiff over an issue of ethics. Now that's all out in the open, how long do you think it's going to take before they fall in love all over again? Have you seen the way Nick looks at her?"

Katherine doesn't answer. Yes, she has seen Nick's expression whenever Rebecca is in the room, and yes, she always knew that she's a pale comparison to Rebecca's golden glow lighting up the room, partly from her Dubai beach-bronzed complexion, and also because she's just so - good.

 _Fifteen seconds._

" _C'mon_ , Katherine. You're nowhere near what I would classify as stupid." Mary's voice is almost soft, sympathetic. Katherine's only reminded by the evil, delighted glint in the older woman's eyes that Mary is actually loving every moment of her suffering. "Don't live your final few seconds as a lie. You know Nick's not coming back. For either of us."

Katherine drops her gaze, knowing it's true.

"Goodbye, Katherine," Mary smiles, apparently fearless in the face of clear death.

 _Five seconds._

Out of impulse, Katherine closes her eyes. Partly because she really doesn't want the last snapshot of life she ever has to be Mary's smug face, knowing she's won, and partly to try and pretend, in the last few milliseconds before her world explodes, that this isn't happening. This can't be happening.

 _Zero._

And then the world goes white.


End file.
